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The Fight for Life

In: Novels

Submitted By jijig
Words 2025
Pages 9
The most extraordinary people are those who have known anguish, suffering, and loss, yet find their way out of the depths of despair. Life changes at a great pace, and many times it is hard to appreciate the things that are available until they are gone. Mankind has been given a gift that cannot be bought: the gift of life. Though it is not a gift that has been particularly requested, it is one that requires fight and determination to keep. In the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi does not fully treasure this gift until he almost loses it. He realizes its value and for this reason wills himself physically, morally, and spiritually to stay alive and ultimately preserves the gift of life. Pi’s devotion and faith in God is an important theme in the book. Toiling in devotion, Pi is able to overcome many hardships, which, in turn, help him gain the will to live. “Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love — but sometimes it was so hard to love. Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with anger, desolation, and weariness, I was afraid it would sink to the very bottom of the Pacific and I would not be able to lift it back up. At such moments I tried to elevate myself” (Martel 231). In these trial-some times, Pi expresses his strife and inner struggle; however, he is determined not to lose faith in God. Pi attempts to control his negative feelings to avoid a lack of morale, which would decrease his odds of surviving. Pi is a clear example of the fact that regardless of the circumstances or surroundings, human beings have an instinctual desire to live. It is not debatable to say that Pi has every reason to want to end his life after having lost everything he owns and knows. To make matters worse, he is confined to a small raft in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger and extremely scarce resources. He finds that in this critical time,

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